Family On belay: Climbing in Malaysia: Batu Cave and Bukit Keteri....

Climbing in Malaysia is perhaps not so popular among the international climbing community, especially if compared with Thailand, however it has a huge potential that I believe should be taken in a closer consideration.

Being very honest, my personal knowledge was confined with the classic spots of Batu Caves which, beside its famous temple, has a decent number of bolted routes however, a part of it I decided to visit also the areas of Butik Keteri in the province of Perlis next to the borders to Thailand, which seemed to be very interesting and not very popular.

Being surrounded by highways and immerse in the urban district, Batu Caves is probably not the best climbing spot in the world. Nevertheless, even though you will be very far from feeling lost in the middle of a forest or immerse in the deep wild, many walls are featuring very nice lines.

The main crag is indeed the Damai Wall. It is located on the north side of Batu Caves, it is very easy to access, it is in shade from the late morning and therefore it represents the hot spot for many friendly local climbers in particular during the weekends.

The wall is well maintained, it has a number of easy and enjoyable routes and it can guarantee at least two full days of climbing without getting bored.

Butik Keteri it's located on the north side of Malaysia. The best way to reach it is to take an overnight train from KL to Padang Besar. The fare is quite reasonable, only 50 RM for a comfortable berth in superior class and it can be booked online www.ktmb.com.my.

Since in this area services are very scarce, I strongly recommend anyone going there to get in contact with Mr. Rizuan Khatulpica and to visit his blog at: http://khatulpicaadventure.blogspot.com he is an experienced local guide, very friendly, helpful and with a vast knowledge of the area!

The most interesting spots of the area are of course the K3 hill in Bukit Keteri and the Gua Kelam Big Wall at Kaki Bukit.

Unfortunately due to the absence of many climbers and therefore the scarce maintenance, many of the best routes at K3 are not possible to be climbed because they are literally immerse in the forest, while the Big Wall of Kaki Bukit being located inside a national park is in perfect condition and features amazing long technical routes. Be aware of the bees though...